Betrayal
by Writing-Forever-A-Passion
Summary: The events leading up to how James Diamond and Stephanie King found love and also committed The Ultimate Betrayal. Expressed from both point of views. R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Words of Wisdom

**Hey everybody! So, recently I've been hooked on Big Time Rush – the show and the actual band. I've read a few amazing stories on here pertaining to Big Time Rush and they are the reason I found inspiration to write a fic of them of my own. This is my very first one so bear with me folks. Also, this is an odd couple pairing, but when I seen them interact with each other on one of the episodes of BTR. I had to write about them. So I hope you enjoy! :-)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Big Time Rush (unfortunately) or any of their characters. Sorry.**

**Summary: The events leading up to how James Diamond and Stephanie King found love and also committed The Ultimate Betrayal. Expressed from both points of views. R&R!**

**A/N: The point of views will periodically change throughout the story.**

* * *

**_Chapter 1: Words of Wisdom_**

James Diamonds' eyes sparkled with a mixture of love and lust as he stared down at the beauty beside him.

Stephanie King.

She was the new girl at Palm Woods and had just moved here from her hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana.

She had the most beautiful locks of shiny, brunette hair he's ever seen, the way it flowed down her back seamlessly as she walked. The sexiest curves he's ever seen on a woman, no matter what she wore, she always made it look so toothsome and alluring, yet it was still effortless like she rolled out of bed looking like that.

She had this aura about her that was of sweetness and purity. Yet, something about her draws you in without you even having the knowledge of it until it's too late. Maybe it was the way her piercing, honey colored eyes bores into yours with such intensity that it would make any sane human being's heart skip a beat…or maybe just his.

She had a natural beauty about herself and didn't need to wear an ounce of makeup. James reminded her of this. He smiled at memory of the scarlet color that flooded her cheeks when he told her that. He loved when he made her blush. It made the hairs on his neck and back stand.

James let out an unsteady breath as he moved a couple of her brunette locks from her angelic face, he was in love with her and he knew it.

Yes you heard that right, James Diamond – the ladies man? The one who loved no else but his reflection in the mirror…was _in love?_

The thought had taken him aback himself. Not only was he in love, but he was also in love with his best friend's girl.

_The ultimate betrayal._

A wave of guilt surpassed as he thought about one of his best friend's: Carlos Garcia; the goofy, fun, loving, cheerful one of the group. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve the lies, hurt, pain, and betrayal this would all cause.

James knew Stephanie felt the same, she hated just as much as James, the hurt and pain she knew she was putting him through. She had loved Carlos, she truly did. But something, somewhere in their relationship, had gone wrong.

Somewhere down the line, Stephanie had fallen out of love with him and she didn't know until the moment she had met James, one of Carlos' best friends, if not, brother. Stephanie knew she felt something with James. She remembered the exhilarating feeling she got by just the touch of his hand. She felt a sudden, profound connection with James that no girlfriend should feel about her boyfriend's best friend.

She knew he felt it too by the startled look on his face as he stared down into the young girl before him with shock and mere interest.

But before anyone gets into any of that, you must know how the two even ended up in each other's arms completely and hopelessly in love right?

Well sit tight because this is going to be one heck of a ride…

* * *

_Three months prior: In apartment 2J_

"Has anyone seen Carlos?" Logan asked curiously, coming out from his room. "I haven't seen or heard from him all day." Logan plopped down on the couch next to Kendall and James, whose eyes were glued to the television screen.

Kendall was the one to speak, finally tearing his eyes away from the screen in front of him and onto Logan. "I think he's out with Stephanie."

"Again? Wow. He's practically gone out with her every night this week. Things must be getting serious."

"Yeah," Kendall agreed. "It's been a month since he asked her to be his girlfriend, right? I wonder if they've made it exclusive yet."

"Well if he hasn't then he will soon."

James clenched his jaw as Kendall and Logan's words began to sink into his psyche. Why did it bother him so much that Stephanie and Carlos were getting serious? He should be happy for his best friend. He deserved to be happy. But James couldn't help but feel envious of Carlos. The fact that he could hold, kiss, and touch Stephanie whenever he pleased annoyed James immensely.

James shook his head, desperately trying to rid of the thoughts that lingered in his conscious and focus on the screen before him.

"What do you think about it, James?" Logan suddenly asked.

"Huh?" James turned his head to his friend, completely oblivious to what Logan was talking about.

"What do you think about Carlos and Stephanie?"

"Um, they, uh, make a great couple I guess." James said, hoping that his response didn't sound as sarcastic as he meant it to be.

Logan and Kendall looked at James with confused looks plastered onto their features. Logan opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the front door opening and in walked a giddy-looking Carlos hand and hand with Stephanie.

"Hey guys!" Carlos said as he and Stephanie sat down next to Logan and Kendall and across from James.

"Hey Carlos, hey Stephanie!" Logan smiled, "What's up?"

Carlos shrugged, "Nothing much. Stephanie and I went to get something to eat, then to a movie that was boring as hell. Good thing I had Stephanie here to distract me most of the time." Carlos winked and a maroon color flushed across Stephanie's cheeks as she smacked Carlos on the arm.

"Carlos!"

"What?" Carlos grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "You know you enjoyed it just as much as I did."

Stephanie didn't respond, but the deep cherry color that flushed her rosy red cheeks once again, said enough.

James quietly glowered at the two from across the room as he watched them giggle, cuddle, and hold hands with one another. Right as Carlos was about to lean in for a kiss from Stephanie, James abruptly stood from his sitting position. "I'm going for a walk. I need some fresh air. See you guys later."

And with that, James was gone leaving everyone slightly confused by his behavior.

"That was…weird." Kendall said.

"I'll say…" Carlos replied.

But Stephanie stared after James, worried for him. Why? She had no clue. She wanted to go after him. But she couldn't. She was Carlos' not James'. Stephanie felt a sting at the realization. She didn't know why but she did.

"You okay babe?" The sound of Carlos' voice is what brought her out of her thoughts (thankfully) and back to reality.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine." Stephanie, for the first time in their relationship plastered a fake smile upon her face and leaned in for a peck which Carlos happily complied to.

_Somewhere in the Palm Woods Parking lot_

James sat in the BTR mobile, thinking of what had just happened and why in the _hell_ was he was acting like an ex-boyfriend who's not over his girlfriend. James ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated way. Ever since the day he laid eyes on her, he couldn't get her off of his mind. James tried. He tried desperately to rid of his mind of a girl that didn't belong to him, but belonged to his best friend. But she seemed to be the only thing on his mind worth thinking about.

"Argh!" James groaned, hitting his head against the steering wheel in frustration.

_'You really need to stop thinking like that, James. That's your best friend's girl. He's happy and deserves it. Don't go and ruin that for him. He doesn't deserve it.'_ James' conscious warned. Sometimes he hated having a conscious…

_Somewhere on the third floor of Palm Woods apartment complex later that night_

Stephanie huffed in frustration as she tossed and turned in her bed, finally giving up on any chance at a peaceful night of sleep. She didn't bother glancing at the alarm clock beside her. She already knew what time it was and how long she had been up, switching positions, changing pillows, throwing the blankets on and off of her throughout the night.

Her thoughts and over active imagination was the cause of her insomnia. Her thoughts of a certain tall, broad-shouldered, 6'1 male with a killer smile and breathtaking physique that lived only on the second floor beneath her.

And sadly, that male was not her sweet, fun, loving boyfriend. It was his best friend. His good-looking, charismatic, you-can-look-but-can't-touch best friend. Did she mention how good-looking, sexy, hot, and attractive he was? Oh good.

Stephanie groaned. Why did he have to be Carlos's best friend? Why did he have to be so hot? Most of all, why couldn't she stop these illicit thoughts that continued to sneak into her psyche with her own permission?

Grrr…, when did life become so effing confusing?

_'Oh I don't know, maybe when you started ogling over your boyfriend's best friend! Not that I can blame you though. The boy's smoking hot!'_ Stephanie's conscious spoke.

"Oh shut up." Stephanie grumbled out loud. "And I was _not_ ogling over him."

_'Oh please. And what do you call what you were doing just five seconds ago? Simply admiring from afar? I think not!'_

Stephanie rolled her eyes mumbling "Whatever."

_'You know it's true, Stephanie. Who are you trying to fool? You're attracted to him. Just admit it. Everyone knows he's definitely an eye catcher. But let that be only what he is to you. An attractive guy who is best friend's with your boyfriend and completely off limits.'_

"But-"Stephanie tried to protest.

_'You love Carlos don't you?'_

"Of course!"

_'Then focus on that. Focus on how much you love him and how much pain and hurt you will cause him if you carry out this thing you have for James. You would not only be cheating on him, but cheating on him with his best friend. You would be walking on dangerous grounds and could ruin a lot of people's lives, including: James, Carlos's, Big Time Rush, and not to mention yours and Carlos's friendship with James. Would you really want to be the cause of that?'_

Stephanie sighed, "…No."

_'I didn't think so. The best thing to do is erase all of the thoughts you have had of him and direct all of that on Carlos. He's the one for you. He loves you and you love him. This is how it should be. Don't mess up with a good guy because you can't control your hormones.'_

Stephanie lay silent as she thought over the words of her conscious. She knew everything that was said was true. Getting involved with James in any other way than friendship could – no _would_ turn out disastrous. So many lies. So much betrayal. Stephanie didn't know if she would even be able to live a life full of lies, hurt, and betrayal. She wasn't that kind of person.

Was she even willing to risk losing a great boyfriend to just test the waters with James and see where it took her? Her brain was screaming: _HELL NO!_ But her heart and everything else screamed otherwise.

Stephanie groaned again, finally glancing over at the clock which read: 3:01am.

"Go to sleep Stephanie. It doesn't matter…"

But it did matter. It matter more than anything. But for now, what mattered is getting the much needed sleep she had been craving for all night.

Stephanie mentally planned that by tomorrow morning. All her thoughts, fears, and wishes would be gone. Her feelings for James would be almost translucent (at least she hoped it would be) and she'd wake up tomorrow all smiles, refreshed, and ready to start her day with her wonderful boyfriend whom she loved oh so much.

It may have been an unrealistic thought, but it was enough to lure her into the sleep she desperately yearned for all night.

Tomorrow morning she would forget all about the peculiar boy who kept her up most of the night, lingering in her thoughts like a bad dream. She would wake up, more in love with Carlos than ever had been and the thought of James would just be a distant memory….

* * *

Stephanie couldn't have been more wrong in her whole life about anything. She had awakened the next morning almost yearning for him. To be under his gaze. His touch. Everything.

This morning had definitely gone left for her. She was so sure she would be over James by now. But she wasn't. She was anything but over him.

Stephanie groaned. What a sucky way to start the morning. Just as Stephanie thought things were at its worst, she heard her phone buzz from her nightstand.

_1 New Text Message_, it read. It was from Carlos: **_Good morning beautiful! The guys and I decided 2 go down 2 the pool 2day. Do u want 2 come? Camille & Jo are coming 2._**

Stephanie was a little apprehensive at the thought before responding. James was definitely going to be there. And the way she was feeling at the moment, she wasn't sure she wanted to see him at all. But she decided against it. Maybe being around Carlos could take her mind off of James for a while. Hm, sounded like a good plan.

Stephanie quickly sent the reply back to Carlos and within seconds he replied back with: **_Yay ok we are meeting down at the lobby at 12 k? See u then! Love you :-)_**

Stephanie smiled at the text before setting her phone down and glancing over at the time which read: 11:05am. She decided to take a quick shower, only hoping this day would go smoothly and drama-free.

I mean…, one could hope couldn't they?

* * *

**A/N: So there's the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I have revised it so many times I lost count. Lol anyways, if you're wondering how they met it will be revealed in the future chapters. I just decided to start it where James was beginning to have feelings for Stephanie or see her in a different light lol whatever you want to call it. Any who, reviews would be absolutely wonderful! They are motivation! :-)**


	2. Chapter 2: Realization

**Hey peoples! Chapter 2 is here! A little sad that I didn't get any feedback on Chapter 1. I know this is an odd pairing but please guys, bare with me here. I still want to continue anyway with or without reviews...BUT! Reviews are still nice and a huuuuuge motivation for me! So reviews would mean a lot! :-) any who, enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Realization**_

_James could feel his heart beating rapidly fast as he could feel his member hardening by the second. She was in nothing but a button up cardigan. His button up cardigan at that. She began making her way across the room, a sexy smirk plastered on her features as she slowly began unbuttoning every button on her (his) cardigan with every step she took._

_James took a step back every time until his calves hit the bed frame making him fall into a sitting position, staring up at Stephanie nervously as she unbuttoned the last button._

_"S-Stephanie…"_

_"Take me, James…take me now. I want you so bad. I know you want me too." She sat down on his lap and began nibbling on his ear. James groaned out in pleasure._

_"You're the one I want James…you're the one that I need. No one else, just you…"_

_James couldn't take it anymore. He scooped her up and threw her on the bed. He slapped his lips against hers and simultaneously slide his fingers between her legs and just as he suspected. She had nothing on underneath the cardigan but her birthday suit. _

_James began kissing down her jawline, to her neck and collarbone. She began moaning his name over and over again which only turned James on the more._

_"James…James...James…JAMES!"_

James awakened with a start as he looked around frantically and only found Carlos who was trying to hold back his laughter, unsuccessfully.

"What's so funny?" James asked groggily, lifting his eyebrows in irritation, slowly recovering from his dream.

"Was I interrupting something? You seemed pretty into whatever you were dreaming about."

James' eyes slightly widen as he could feel his heart almost jump. Did he say Stephanie's name? No, then Carlos wouldn't be in such a giddy mood. What did he mean by that?"

"What are you talking about?" James asked, a little on the defense.

"Well when I came in here you were groaning, loudly, like you were having fun. I almost didn't want to wake you."

James' face heated and he could almost feel the redness burning his cheeks.

"Don't worry, you secret's safe with me." Carlos winked. "Anyway, Kendall, Logan and I wanted to know if you were up to going down to the pool with us? Camille, Jo, and Stephanie are coming too."

_Stephanie_, James thought with a smile. "Sure I'll go."

"Okay, we are all going to meet down at the lobby at twleve. So be ready. We all know how long it takes you to get ready, especially when it has something to do with your hair or" Carlos gestured with his hands doing the spirit fingers 'The Face'"

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're just jealous."

Carlos shrugged. "If you say so..."

James watched as Carlos left his room, closing the door behind him. James let out a huge sigh of relief. He was going to have to be more careful. Dreams like that could only get him in trouble no matter how much he enjoyed them…I mean, _really_ enjoyed them.

As James ripped the covers off of him, something immediately caught his eye. Great. A boner was just what he needed right now. He groaned as he slid out of bed and glanced at the clock: 11:03am. Maybe a nice hot shower would do him some good…literally.

* * *

"My goodness Stephanie, you and Carlos are the cutest together. I've never seen him so happy."

"Well, except that one time he found out there was a restaurant that only sold corn dogs. He was practically on cloud nine." Camille quipped.

Stephanie laughed despite what she was feeling inside. She stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed through her long, brown locks using her fingers. The three girls were currently in the girls' bathroom doing a makeup check. Usually Stephanie wouldn't typically be into that sort of thing since she's never been the one to over obsess over her looks (though she still likes to look girly and feminine) It never really matter to her no way.

But back to what she way saying, she decided to join Jo and Camille to escape from James' intense gazes. She knew that he was watching her. He hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her since earlier today. Was it her hair? Did she have something in her teeth? Stephanie checked for all these things before she left her apartment and found nothing.

_'Don't be so naïve! He was totally checking you out and you know it!'_ Her conscious yelled. Oh goodness. Not this again.

_'Oh yes! Again! Have you not taken a look at yourself since you left the apartment? You look stunning! I'm surprised he hasn't gathered you up and had his way with you by a Palm Woods alley!' _

Stephanie mentally shook her head. She really needed a new conscious.

"You're swim suit is really cute, Steph. Carlos hasn't stopped drooling since he's saw you in it."

Jo's voice brought Stephanie out of her thoughts. She looked over at Jo who had just finished applying her lip gloss.

"Thanks, Jo! And really? I haven't noticed…"

_'That's because you're too hung up on James to even notice your own boyfriend practically drooling at your feet!'_ Stephanie inwardly growled at this.

"Really? Everyone has noticed it! Even Logan!"

"Kendall too and especially James."

Stephanie froze at the mention of his name. She kept her eyes on her reflection in the mirror so they wouldn't notice the change in her body language just by the mention of his name.

"He can be a real flirt though. Remember when you first came to Palm Woods and how he tried hitting on you?" Camille practically doubled over at the memory along with Jo. "He was so embarrassed!"

Stephanie turned to the two with her eyes slightly wide. "He liked you?"

Jo nodded, "They all did at one point. But Kendall won my heart." Jo said dreamily as she placed a hand over her heart.

Camille nodded. "It was the same thing with you when you first came here. All of them had a die-hard crush on you." James too? "Even my Logan…" Camille added with a touch of sadness.

Stephanie patted Camille on the shoulder reassuringly. "Well he chose you in the end anyway."

Camille's face lightened at this. "I guess you're right."

"We should probably get back out there." Jo said, "Though it feels pretty cool in here, I'm sure the boys are probably wondering what happened to us."

We all nodded and headed back to the pool. I could feel the scorching sun beaming down upon me. Good thing I wore sun block. It was beyond hot today. Stephanie thought.

As Stephanie stepped back into the pool, she heard a few whistles come toward her way. She instinctively ignored them as her eyes connected with James immediately. She bit her lip. He was looking good. His hair wet and slick back. His wash bored abs glistening as the sun reflected off of them. He was pure perfection.

_Stop it Stephanie! That's your boyfriend's best friend! Focus on Carlos._

_Carlos is good looking and super sweet._

_Carlos is fun to be around and is a great boyfriend._

_But James is also good looking, hot, sexy, and cute._

_James is a ladies man and is probably afraid of commitment._

_But James is also sweet and funny when he wants to be…_

Argh! Stephanie mentally face palmed herself. Her plan of completely avoiding James and all his wonderful assets was getting harder and harder for her to do.

* * *

James was grateful that Carlos, Camille, and Jo were on one side of the pool, while Kendall, himself, Stephanie, and a couple other people who decided to play with them were on the other.

As much as he tried not to, he couldn't help himself. He kept finding himself gazing over in Stephanie's direction.

James would have been lying to himself if he said he hadn't been staring at Stephanie the whole time. She was quite the looker, he thought with a smirk. And by the looks of it, many of the other guys at Palm Woods thought so as well.

James never missed the lingering, lustful eyes of other males as Stephanie, unbeknownst to the fact, made her way back into the pool from, what he assumed, to take a bathroom break. James could feel his muscles stiffening as he heard a few whistles directed at her. She didn't seem the least bit phased by the action. James eyes briefly averted his eyes over to Carlos to see his reaction, but he was so into the game, he knew nothing of his girlfriend being almost pounced on by hungry, lust-filled prey.

James eyes averted back to Stephanie, as he did so, their eyes connected. They stayed that way for quite some time, neither one backing down to the other. It was only the screams and laughter that Stephanie finally broke the intense stare and glanced over at their friends. James watched as Stephanie smiled at the sight of her friends, having fun.

Stephanie soon felt eyes burning into the side of her head; she turned and met the piercing eyes of James. She felt her heart beating wildly against her chest just by his stare. This had been going on for quite some time between the two and Stephanie tried, with all her might, not to feel anything when this would occur. But she knew she was psyching herself out on that one.

She knew she couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach when their hands would "accidently" brush against one another when Carlos wasn't looking or the long, intense gazes they would share when no one was paying attention. There were many nights, (like last night for instance) where Stephanie would lay wide awake, thinking of her boyfriend's best friend in ways she knew she shouldn't have. Little did she know that James was doing the exact same thing just a mere foot away.

This certainly didn't help the torn feeling in her heart as she tried oh so desperately to forget about the handsome man that had the gorgeous smile that displayed his perfectly aligned pearly whites. Or the amazingly well kept six-pack that made most, if not all, the girls at Palm Woods swoon and as much as she hated to admit it, she fell into that crowd as well.

She hadn't realized that they were now facing each other. She silently wondered if it was she or he that brought them closer or if it was mutual. Either way, Stephanie could feel her heart quicken as she felt his hand lightly brush against hers, then slowly, yet hesitantly, took ahold of her hand in his, using his thumb to massage over the top of her hand. Stephanie found this act quite soothing and relaxing.

James was the one to break the peaceful, yet suspenseful silence between them as they stared at each other.

"I like you, Stephanie." James breathed out, huskily. "I like you a lot."

It was a slight pause before Stephanie responded to his revelation; her eyes averted from looking down at the clear blue water beneath them, and back up at James.

"I like you too, James." She whispered.

It was a certain look on her face that James took notice after her revelation. She began avoiding eye contact from him, her eyes, every so often, glancing over at the other side of the pool, where her boyfriend, completely oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend and best friend had just revealed that they had feelings for each other in ways they shouldn't have.

James knew what she was thinking; he took a step closer to her. He was glad that everyone was wrapped in the game that they failed to notice their presence on the other side of the pool.

Stephanie could feel his fingers under her chin, making her head turn and look up into his hazel-green eyes that stared down into hers with intensity. Stephanie, once again, could feel her heart beating rapidly, suddenly forgetting her thoughts from earlier.

"I know what I'm doing is wrong…but my feelings for you Stephanie are strong. Too strong to ignore…"

James continued, "And I know you feel the same way. I can see it in your eyes…you feel it too." James continued to stare down at her, "But you're scared. Hell, I'm scared too. I've never felt this way before for anyone. It's all new to me." James lightly chuckled, and then suddenly turned serious. "I'm willing to see where_ this_ takes me." He removed a strand of hair that fell into her face behind her ear and whispered. "No one has to know, Steph…not even him."

Stephanie felt chills shoot down her spine as she could feel his breath on her skin; he slowly pulled away, his eyes connecting with hers. She watched as he backed away from her, slowly letting go of her hand in the process. Stephanie let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. Her heart still beating rapidly against her chest, she felt goose bumps form under her chin, where he had touched her.

She liked him. She liked him a lot – a whole lot. Why did he have to be Carlos' best friend? Why did he have to be so freaking good looking? Why couldn't she stop the butterflies in her stomach that she felt every time he was in the same room as her? Her mind was telling her that, getting involved with James Diamond would be anything and everything but good and nothing positive would come out of it. He was Carlos' best friend and not only would she cheating on Carlos, but she'd be cheating on him with his best friend – the ultimate betrayal.

Yet, her heart and everything else was telling her otherwise. Stephanie bit her lip, she knew she was going to have a lot to think about tonight and all of her thoughts were all going to be consumed of one boy and none of them involved Carlos Garcia…


	3. Chapter 3: Runnin'

**Woohoo! Chapter 3 is here folks! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I hope the characters don't seem too OOC. I'm still trying to get a fill of everyone's personalities and such. Anyways, enjoy chapter 3 guys! :-) Reviews are always love!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Runnin'**_

Many days had passed since James' revelation and Stephanie hadn't seen or spoken to him since then. She had even been avoiding going over to their apartment and seeing the other guys knowing that James would be somewhere in the mix. Carlos had invited her over several times but she declined saying that she needed to be home by a certain time or her folks would be upset. That was partly true. But if her parents had known that she was just out with her friends and Carlos, they wouldn't mind if she was an hour or two past curfew. But of course she hadn't let Carlos know that or he'd be questioning her as to why it seemed she was avoiding seeing the others and for that, Stephanie had no answer to. Or at least the answer that he would want to hear.

What frustrated her to no end was how she couldn't get _him_ off her mind. Even if she wanted to she couldn't. Several times while kissing Carlos, Stephanie imaged it to be James and almost called him James, but quickly covered it up with a moan. That day, Stephanie realized that she couldn't deny her feelings for James no longer and scolded herself on being more careful. Stephanie wondered if she occupied James' mind as much as he did hers.

"Honey, are you okay?" Stephanie blinked.

Her mother's voice snapping her out of her thoughts. She had almost forgotten she was in the car with her mother. They had just returned from the store for grocery shopping. Stephanie decided to tag along just in case Carlos had tried to invite her over again. That way she wouldn't be lying. She truly was busy.

_'Yeah, busy avoiding a certain someone.' _Her conscious remarked which Stephanie chose to ignore.

She looked over at her mother's concerned face and nodded with a false smile. "Yes mom. Why'd you ask?"

"You look like you were thinking long and hard about something. Is there anything you'd like to talk about Steph?"

Stephanie bit her lip. "Actually there is…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Well aren't you going to tell me or are we going to sit here in silence?" Her mother joked.

"Oh right!" Stephanie said nervously. "Well you see, I have this friend who has a boyfriend who she loves very much…but she told me she thinks she's starting to really, _really_ like his friend a lot. She asked me what she should do and I'm not quite sure how to help her…"

There was another silence before her mother had spoken up.

"Well I don't think your friend really loves her boyfriend the way she thinks she does or else she wouldn't be looking at his friend."

"But she does love her boyfriend! She really does. She's just…confused. She really does love her boyfriend, I can tell. But she's also has strong feelings for his best friend and she doesn't know if she should act upon them or not."

"Well there's a question your friend should ask herself: Is it worth it? Is what she's feeling for that best friend worth ruining people's lives over? Destroying a friendship? Does she want to be responsible for that happening? My best advice would be not to act on it. What she's doing is wrong. She's cheating on her boyfriend for one and with his best friend! That's the ultimate betrayal."

Stephanie thought about her mother's words. She was right. Cheating was wrong. Betrayal was wrong. Everything about what she was feeling for James was _wrong_.

Stephanie turned to look out the window as she felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She didn't know why her mother's words stung so much. Probably because she was right, Stephanie thought.

"Thanks for the advice mom, I'll tell her that." Stephanie spoke, trying her best to appear unaffected by her mother's words; after all, they were just talking about a "friend".

"No problem sweetie. I'm always here for you. Your father and I are always here for you whenever you need us. Even if we are no longer together anymore, we still love you very much."

Stephanie winced at that last part. She was still trying to get used to the fact that her mother and father were no longer together anymore. They had been together for seventeen years and were even high school sweethearts. Once her mother found out she was pregnant, they both went and got married right after high school.

Stephanie remembered how she always thought that her parents were perfect for each other and how they would be together forever.

The day they sat her down and told her that they were getting a divorce literally broke her young heart. She was only about seven or eight at the time and she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. She was always asking for new toys and clothes. Maybe if she hadn't been so selfish and had been a better child they wouldn't have gotten divorced. And to this day, Stephanie still, every so often, wonders to this day if how her life would be if they had stayed together.

Don't get her wrong, she loves her life now and wouldn't trade it for the world. But it still doesn't stop her from pondering on the thought of what could have been…

Stephanie looked up at her mother, and this time, smiled genuinely. "Thanks mom, I love you guys too."

* * *

Stephanie walked through the lobby of Palm Woods with her mother with an arm full of groceries. She could barely push the button on the elevator to open as she kept a tight grip on the heavy bags in her hand.

_DING!_

Stephanie looked up and nearly froze; she dropped all the bags in her hand. She gulped as she bent down to pick them up hoping the person before her would just disappear.

"Let me help you with those." He said as his hand brushed against hers as they both picked up items in each hand. Stephanie could feel his eyes burning into her as they finally stood up in sync.

"Stephanie, who is your friend?"

Before Stephanie could respond, he beat her to the punch.

"I'm James Diamond, a _close_ friend of Stephanie..." He said with a smile that made Stephanie's knees weaken.

Stephanie's mother smiled brightly with realization. "Hey wait a minute…aren't you in that boy band Big Time Rush?"

James smiled shyly, "Yes. I am."

"Well it's very nice to meet you, James. I'm a huge fan by the way." Stephanie watched her mother gush over James. Stephanie rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Mom…"

"Oh and I'm also Stephanie's mother." Stephanie could feel the slight nudge her mother gave her.

"Well, I can see where Stephanie has gotten her good looks from…" James winked at Stephanie before turning back to her mother.

_Could he be any less corny?_

* * *

James ended up helping Stephanie and her mother with the groceries. He smiled the resemblance between Stephanie and her mother. Her mother seemed fairly young. James guessed she was in her early to mid-thirties.

It looked like Stephanie and her mother lived alone. James secretly wondered where or what happened to her father, but decided against the urge to ask.

After Stephanie's mother thanked him for his help, she disappeared into another room leaving him and Stephanie alone much to his convenience.

James could tell she was nervous by the way she fiddled with the rem of her shirt.

"Maybe you should go…"

"Stephanie-"

"James, please go…"

James sighed in defeat. He didn't want to leave yet. But all he could do for now was comply to her wishes.

And as he made his way over to the door, his hand rested on the knob before turning his head around to meet the watchful gaze of Stephanie.

"You won't be able to keep running from this Stephanie."

And with those final words he left her apartment leaving Stephanie to drown in her own thoughts.

Stephanie plopped down on to her couch and let out a huge breath. He was right. She wouldn't be able to keep avoiding him or the others. She was going to have to learn how to deal with this and quit running away from it once and for all…


	4. Chapter 4: Heartbreak on the Dancefloor

Chapter 4 is here peoples! Sooo, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. To be honest, I haven't even planned on where I am going with this story. I'm just going where my mind allows. So I hope everything is coming along pretty well for not being exactly planned out to the tee. Lol! So yup! Enjoy lovely peoples :-)

Also, shout out to: deb24! Thanks for the reviews hun! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Heartbreak on the Dance floor**_

_Days later: apartment 2J_

"So James, who did you decide on bringing to the Palm Woods dance?" Logan asked fixing his suit and tie as the four boys stood in front of mirrors getting ready.

"Lucy" James said simply.

"Oh, you guys are back together or something?" Kendall asked.

If James didn't know any better, he could sense a bit of jealously in Kendall's voice. It was so subtle that James didn't think the others picked up on it.

"No. She just got back in town from shooting some TV show she's starring in in Europe. I thought she'd like to go. You know, to catch up. I'm sure she's wondering what everyone's up to since we haven't seen her in a year or so." James shrugged.

"Oh, cool…"

Kendall tried to sound nonchalant about it but James could see right through it. _Did he still have feelings for Lucy?_

James temporarily discarded the thought as he heard a knock on the door.

"That must be the girls" Logan said jogging over to get the door and lo and behold there stood Camille, Jo, Lucy, and Stephanie.

His eyes locked with Stephanie's. She looked beyond beautiful. She wore a strapless, black, mini dress with light pink polka dots. It ruffled at the end and the dress came just before her knees showing off her gorgeous, caramel legs. Her usual straight, brunette locks were lightly curled and flowed down her back perfectly.

He watched as Carlos walked over to her, giving her a passionate kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist and in return she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, much to James' dismay.

"Steph, you look absolutely stunning!"

He watched as she blushed lightly and smiled shyly at him.

"Thanks, Carlos."

The sound of Lucy's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at Lucy who was dressed in a black dress as well that was tight fitting and the dress was a tad shorter than Stephanie's. She smiled up at him. Nothing had really changed about her look, she still had her dark makeup and gothic edge. Though James did take notice that she had gotten rid of the red strikes in her hair. That's the only thing that had really changed about her appearance wise. She was still that rocker chic that left to Europe a year ago.

"Hey Luce, you look great."

"Thanks James. You do too."

"We should probably get going..." Logan said staring down at his watch.

"Logan's right. The dance started at 9:30 and its 10:00 now. You know how Bitters likes to stop people from coming in at a certain time." Camille rolled her eyes.

"He's almost as much as a kill joy as Gustavo." Kendall quipped

"No, I think they're neck and neck." Jo chimed in.

"Yeah they are both fun suckers…" Carlos piped.

"I say we leave now before we miss the dance talking about how Bitters and Gustavo suck the fun out of everything." Logan finally said.

Everyone shared a laugh as they all made their way down to the Palm Woods lobby and into the ball room. James could have sworn he seen Kendall peer over at he and Lucy several times.

James didn't know what to make of this except for one possible theory: _Kendall still had feelings for Lucy._

It was all James could come up with as to why he kept staring over at Lucy and in return she would throw him a shy smile.

I mean, after all, they _did_ use to date.

As they all made their way into the Palm Woods ball room, _Glad You Came by The Wanted_ was ending and _I Found You_ came blasting through the speakers and everyone went wild, grabbing and dragging their date's to the dance floor.

James peered over the crowd, searching for Stephanie. He felt his heart almost jump out of his chest as he spotted her dancing with Carlos. His hands resided on her waist as she moved her hips to the beat. They were dancing close, _too_ close for James' comfort.

The song switched to: _Turn up the Music by Chris Brown_ and the crowd continued to go wild. James continued to peer over at the two with pure envy.

_What would it be like if that was me instead of Carlos?_ He pondered. _How would her body feel against mine? _

The song switched to something slower and a few people left the dance floor. Lucy turn to look up at James.

"I'm gonna go to the ladies room, okay?"

James nodded and made his way over to the snack bar where he found Stephanie making a drink. James smiled to himself as he came up beside her, startling her a bit.

"Where's Carlos?" He asked as he began making himself a drink as well.

"He, uh, left to go the restroom." She answered a bit nervously. "Where's Lucy?"

"Bathroom too."

He watched Stephanie nod and take a sip from her drink. Damn, she was beautiful. James couldn't help but stare.

"What?" She said noticing James' eyes on her; she suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. James seemed to sense this.

"Nothing, nothing." He said shaking his head. "I was just admiring how beautiful you look tonight. Well actually you look beautiful all the time…"

He could see the deep, crimson color flood her cheeks. His heart leaped with joy.

_Carlos is not the only one who could make her blush_. He thought with a smirk.

The song switched again to_ Bittersweet by Ellie Goulding_.

"Oh, I love this song!" Stephanie exclaimed excitedly.

James smiled. This was his opportunity. He held out his hand to her, "Would you like to dance?"

Stephanie could feel her heart beat rapidly. Dancing with James could be dangerous.

"I-I don't know if that's a good idea James."

"Oh come on! What's the big deal? It's just a dance." He took a step closer to her. "One dance couldn't hurt."

_Oh, but it could._ Stephanie thought.

She was hesitant at first, but decided that one dance maybe wouldn't be as bad as she thought it could be. She smiled nervously as she took his hand and he led them out onto the middle of the crowded dance floor. She completely ignored everything telling her that this was anything but a good idea and could only lead to trouble.

One innocent dance couldn't hurt, right?

_Your arms around me come undone  
Makes my heart beat like a drum  
See the panic in my eyes  
Kiss me only when I cry_

_Cause you always want what you're running from_  
_And you know this is more than you can take_

_Baby don't forget my name_  
_When the morning breaks us_  
_Baby please don't look away_  
_When the morning breaks us_  
_Oh your touch, so bittersweet, ah ah ah ah_  
_Baby don't forget my name_  
_When the morning breaks us_

Stephanie looked up at James and even though the lights were extremely dim, she could see he was gazing down at her. Stephanie's heart began to beat widely against her chest. Why was it whenever she was around him, the walls she built up for herself always began to tumble down? Why couldn't she stand her ground? Why couldn't she resist him?

_Your cheek is softly by the sun  
Makes my heart beat like a drum  
I know it hurts you, I know it burns you  
Hot and cold in a lonely hotel room  
Look into me, tell me why you're crying I need to know_

_Cause you always want what you're running from_  
_And it's always been that way, oh oh_

_Baby don't forget my name_  
_When the morning breaks us_  
_Baby please don't look away_  
_When the morning breaks us_  
_Oh your touch, so bittersweet, ah ah ah ah_  
_Baby don't forget my name_  
_When the morning breaks us_

James licked his lips as he gazed down at the beautiful girl before him. James could feel his heart pound against his chest as his hand resided around her waist and her hips were swaying to the music. He knew his feelings for this girl were wrong because it was his best friend's girl. His mind told him that he was betraying his best friend and that he was throwing away a good friendship and brotherhood if he continued to act upon his feelings for Stephanie.

But his heart told a different story. His feelings for her were growing stronger and stronger every day. He thought about her constantly and sometimes wondered if she thought about him as much as he thought about her.

Her body continued to move in sync with his.

He had never felt this way about a girl before. _Never_. The longest relationship that he could remember being in was a month long and come to think of it, most of it was just sex. And that really didn't say much on his part. But she was different, he thought. For the first time, he didn't _just_ want to sleep with her as he desired to do with many other girls before her. He wanted to get to know her more. He wanted to know what her favorite hobbies were, what her favorite food was, what her family was like. Everything about her, he wanted to know.

_Cause you always want what you're running from_

Stephanie could feel her walls faltering by the look he was giving her. It was a look of desire and warmth. It was funny how the song playing was quite similar to her and James' situation. If she wasn't so in her feelings she could have laughed.

Stephanie's breath began to heavy as she felt their bodies pressed against one another and as his eyes bore into hers, she realized that she couldn't do it anymore. She could no longer deny what she had been feeling for him for so long.

She thought about him day and night. He was the last thing she thought about before she closed her eyes to sleep. He was in her dreams and her conscious twenty-four-seven.

Who was she kidding? She knew she was falling for him the minute they met and no matter how much she tried to avoid her feelings and ignore him. They were there and wouldn't go away no matter how much she beckoned them to. They wouldn't and it wasn't until this night that she realized that they would never go away and she couldn't say she didn't like that fact.

_Baby don't forget my name  
When the morning breaks us  
Baby please don't look away  
When the morning breaks us  
Oh your touch, so bittersweet, ah ah ah ah  
Baby don't forget my name  
When the morning breaks us_

The song was coming to an end and Stephanie hadn't realized how close she and James were. Their swaying to the beat slowed and their faces were slowly inching towards each other.

"James…" Stephanie said in a warning tone, even though she didn't want to stop what she knew would happen eventually.

"Stephanie…" James breathed out as he closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against hers. He felt like a million and one butter flies had exploded in his stomach by the feel of her soft, tender lips.

Stephanie's heart skipped a beat by the contact. His lips were so soft and smooth and the kiss was so gentle and loving. Stephanie's eyes fluttered shut as she slowly began to kiss back.

James instinctively pulled her closer which deepened the kiss. He had never felt this amazing while kissing a girl before. It was like a sudden rush of adrenalin pulsed through his veins as he didn't want this moment to end. He wanted her to stay in his arms and for him to never let go.

He almost hated when the song ended because that's when their kiss did.

"You're making this harder for me, James." She breathed out a moment later after their kiss.

"Why is that?" He asked. His forehead pressed against hers as her hands rested on his chest.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to avoid interacting with you all night. That was the plan. But you went and changed all of that…"

James smiled faintly. "I'm glad I did."

"This can't happen again, James."

"Stephanie, why do you keep denying this? I know you have feelings for me and I definitely have feelings for you. Stephanie…" He gently grabbed a hold of her hands. "You're all I think about – day and night. I've never, ever felt this way about a girl before. But you're different Stephanie. You make me feel a certain way that no other has ever before…please give us a chance. Please…" James practically begged.

Stephanie's eyes began to fill with tears as she couldn't escape the torn feeling in her heart. James had practically poured his heart out to her and begged for her to give what they had been feeling an actual chance. But Stephanie couldn't give him an answer at that moment. So all she could do was do what she thought was right at the time: _run_.

"I-I have to go…"

And then she was gone. In a moment she was in his arms and the next she was gone in a blink of an eye.

"Stephanie, wait!" He called for her, but she was already long gone. He felt a particular pain in his heart as he stood in the middle of the dance floor; feeling like his heart had just been stomped on to death.

So this was what heartbreak felt like…


	5. Chapter 5: Change of Heart

Chapter 5, yeah! It's been a while since I've updated this story. Mainly because of the lack of reviews. :( Any who, some of these chapters were already written and it was just a matter of _when_ I would post them. Also, thanks so much to that one new reviewer. It means a lot :-) Anyhow, enjoy the chapter guys and don't forget to review! It's a never ending motivation for me! :-)

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Change of Heart**_

Stephanie groaned moodily as she rolled on to her belly, face onto her pillow. She had almost hoped that everything that had occurred to her the night before was just a dream and today she'd wake up refreshed and happier than ever. But it wasn't a dream. She really did dance with James. They actually did share an amazingly, breathtaking kiss. And James actually confessed his feelings for her and she actually left him there.

Stephanie would be lying to herself if she said she didn't feel extremely horrible for leaving him like that after he had just laid his feelings bare like that and she just ran off. But could you blame her? She was caught between a rock and a hard place. This was Carlos' best friend. Someone he trusted and loved. And there he was confessing feelings for his best friend's girlfriend that he shouldn't have been.

But Stephanie knew deep down, that she admired what he did in a way. Stephanie wasn't stupid. She knew James' reputation as a complete ladies' man and player and that was part of the reason Stephanie was hesitant in getting involved with him in the first place besides the obvious.

But the look in his eyes as he admitted his feelings for her was so sincere and genuine. Stephanie knew he was telling the truth. He truly did like her and really wanted to be with her. Stephanie guessed a part of the fact that he was so sincere scared her a bit.

What if things between her and James really did get serious and it worked out. What would she do then? What about Carlos?

_'You love Carlos, but you're also falling for James.'_ Her conscious spoke.

Stephanie sighed heavily shaking the thoughts floating around in her brain as she rolled out of bed, yawning and rubbing her eyes tiredly. She hadn't had a good night sleep last night. She was too busy up all night contemplating on what she should or shouldn't do.

Stephanie took a long, steamy hot shower as she continued to think more about her current situation. Once she was done she slipped on a pair of sweats and a plain white t-shirt and not feeling the urge to straighten her hair as she did almost every day. She decided to leave it for today and slap her spiral-like curls in a messy bun.

Just as she finished that, she heard a knock on the door. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She wasn't expecting anyone over was she?

As she made her way out of her room and into the living room, a note on the counter is what caught her eye. Before opening door, she briefly skimped through the words on the crumpled piece of paper.

_Hey honey, I went to run a few errands today and probably won't be back until late tonight. Don't wait up. There's some left over dinner from last night in the fridge if you're hungry. Love you._

_-Mom_

At least she had the house to herself, Stephanie thought as she finally made her way to the door and opening it with her eyes still fixated on the letter her mother had left her.

She finally looked up and she could feel her heart drop down into the pit of her stomach.

There stood no other than James Diamond. Stephanie's breath was caught in her throat as the look of desire and fierceness was prevalent in his eyes.

"James, what are you –"

Before she could finish her sentence, James cupped her face and brought her lips to his hungrily. Stephanie was startled by the action, but slightly turned on by his aggressiveness towards her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as James closed the door with his foot, leading her farther into her apartment.

He backed her up against the wall, slowly pulling away from their vehement-filled kiss. Both of them were desperately trying to catch their breath.

"I know you want to this just as much as I do." James said once he finally caught most of his breath. "Just admit it, Stephanie. You have feelings for me."

"James I –"

"Admit it." James said sternly, looking into her eyes which made her melt.

Stephanie let out an almost inaudible whimper.

"You already know I do, James."

"Then why do you keep running away from this?"

"I love Carlos." Stephanie caught the slight grimace that flashed across James' angelic features.

"But you also have feelings for me"

Stephanie weakly leaned against the wall behind her. "I do…" she breathed out.

"Then be with me, Stephanie. Give us at least a chance to see where this goes…"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes away from him and to the floor. "James it's not that easy…"

"What's not easy?"

"Us being together, James!" She snapped, breaking away from his grip. "Us being together could ruin a lot of people's lives, including _ours_ and your friendship with Carlos and possibly Big Time Rush." Stephanie shook her head, folding her arms. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I was responsible for that."

James just stared at Stephanie, falling for her even more. She was a good person. She cared about her family, friends, and their careers. James did too, but his feelings for Stephanie was clouding all of his logic and all he could think about was being with her and no one else.

James walked over to her and rested his fingers under her chin, lifting her head up to face him.

"Let's make a deal."

Stephanie knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "What kind of deal?"

"That no matter what happens between us, in the end; we'll still remain at least friends."

James watched as she narrowed her eyes away from him for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"Deal"

James smiled warmly, "Deal."

The two stared at each other, not saying a word. James' eyes boring into hers and like the night before, their faces slowly inched closer towards each other, but this time, Stephanie's closing the gap between the two.

James smiled in their passion filled kiss. It was then he realized that Stephanie had wanted this just as much as he did. She felt that same adrenalin rush that he did whenever they were in each others arms. She experienced the butterflies; she experienced the rapid heartbeat as well.

Their kisses were becoming more heated by the moment. With their bodies pressed so closely together, Stephanie could feel the already forming bulge in James' jeans. She couldn't help but blush. But then a thought suddenly entered her psyche.

_Maybe he just wants me for sex. I mean, his reputation is no secret. He is known for sleeping with girls and kicking them to the curve. _

That thought seemed to shake her back to reality as she abruptly removed herself from his arms.

"Stephanie, what's wrong?" James' eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Is this what you wanted, James? Sex? Is that why you came here? Just to sleep with me?"

James was taken aback by her words. _Of course not!_

"What are you talking about? Of course not! Why would you even say that?"

"Because I know your reputation, James! I know how you operate with girls! I know how you worm your way in by overloading them with compliments and charming your way into their pants and once you've gotten what you wanted you kick them to curb and move onto the next. Well l hate to bust your bubble but if your whole intention for coming over here is to get some then you've got another thing coming!" Stephanie was now fuming. She couldn't believe she didn't think of this before. James had been with many girls and knew just how to talk to them to get his personal needs fulfilled.

Well she wasn't going to be an object for him to use and throw away when he got tired of it. No way was she letting that happen.

James blinked, a little hurt that she still couldn't see how sincere his feelings were for her. It angered him a little by how she kept finding ways to separate herself from him. He had to admit that he has had a track record for playing the game of "hit it and quit it" with many of the girls he had been with, but Stephanie was different! He would _never_ do something like that to her. She meant too much to him to just hurt her like that.

"Well since you seem to know me so well. Did you know that I haven't been on a single date or had sex with anyone since the day I met you?" was his response.

Stephanie's face eased from tension and replaced with slight shock.

"You-You haven't?"

James shook his head.

"You think I'm lying to you when I say you're different from any other girl I've encountered? I'm not Stephanie. You are. Whenever I'm around you I get this feeling of excitement. I think about you all the time and I want to be around you all the time. I've never felt this close to a girl before. And you know what? I do admit that I have done a lot of girls wrong that didn't deserve it, but I would never do that to you Stephanie, I swear. You mean too much to me…"

Stephanie stared into his eyes. She knew he meant every word and because of that it made her heart leap with joy. But Stephanie couldn't help but acknowledge the part of her that wondered if what he was saying was the truth.

But deep down, Stephanie knew he wasn't lying. She could see it in his eyes that every word he spoke came from his heart.

"Maybe you should go…"

Stephanie wasn't sure why she was asking him to go. She didn't want him to, but perhaps it was her running away from what was inevitable once again.

"No." James said firmly.

"What?"

"_No_." James repeated. "I'm not leaving. I'm going not to let you keep running away from this, Stephanie. I know you want this just as much as I do." James took a step closer to her. "Why do you keep running away?"

Stephanie knew what he meant; she could feel the lump in her throat as she desperately tried to pushing back the stinging tears at the corner of her eyes.

She narrowed her eyes away from his and onto the floor. "Please go…" She said in almost a whisper.

James gently took her hand in his. "Not until you tell me what's going on…" he said soft and gentle voice.

A single tear escaped her eye and once one fell and the others followed in suit. And before she knew it, she was silently sobbing.

James' concern grew as he lifted her chin up. "Please don't cry…" He whispered. He could feel his heart ache at the sight before him. Usually the sight of girls crying didn't really have much affect over him. But seeing Stephanie in tears nearly broke him.

James pulled her into his chest and she continued to sob in his chest. James rubbed her back. The smell of strawberries and coconut invaded his senses. Her hair smelled so good. James couldn't help but get slightly aroused by the smell that flowed off of Stephanie. He knew this was the last thing he should have been thinking about at the moment, but could you blame him? He was still a guy.

Stephanie was finally starting to calm down. She sniffled as she looked up at James. He was much taller than her and she found herself always gazing up into his eyes, which she didn't mind much of the time.

Her eyes were still watery and slightly puffy. "I'm scared James…"

James stroked a few stray hairs away from her face. "I'm scared too, Steffy…but I know what I feel for you and what you feel for me…they are not going to be going away any time soon unless we explore them."

Stephanie knew he had a point. She bit her bottom lip in contemplation. Maybe if she did go and explore these feelings with James, they would go away. Stephanie knew deep down that it was very unlikely that it would happen, but one could hope couldn't they?

"I'll do it."

"What?"

"I want to be with you, James."

James blinked. Was this a dream or did Stephanie really just admit to what he had been dying to hear her say since the day he's met her. He stared down into her eyes, searching for any sign of reluctance, but found nothing. A smile spread across his sculpted features.

"Are you sure?" He had to ask.

Stephanie formed a smile on her face and wiped a few stray tears away with the sleeve of her t-shirt. "I'm positive."

James' heart leaped with joy as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up off the ground and spinning her around.

She giggled uncontrollably. "James put me down!"

He just smiled and set her down and cupped her face, pressing his lips against hers.

Stephanie could feel her heart pound wildly against her chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel his tongue slide against her bottom lip, begging for entrance which she happily complied to. Their tongues battled each others in dominance. She felt his hand hesitantly slid under her shirt from the back. She could feel his fingers trace her lower back in a circular motion. The feel of his hands on her bare skin sent internal chills throughout her body.

"James…" Stephanie breathed out against his lips. He smiled, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Her heart was beating at a faster pace (if possible) as she took his hand in hers and led him to her bedroom. She led him to sit on to her bed first while she stood before him. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to…" As much as James wanted to as well, sex wasn't solely what he wanted from her. And he certainly didn't want her to do something she was going to regret later on.

She gazed down at the hazel green eyes that always made her heart melt. Her eyes holding confusion as she tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

James grabbed a hold of her hand pulling her down onto the bed beside him. "I mean, if you don't feel comfortable with doing this or if you're not ready. I completely understand. We don't have to do it _now_; we can wait until you're ready."

Stephanie blinked. "You don't want to do it with me?" Her words subtlety dripping with a hint of sadness.

James shook his head. "No, no! I do! I _really_ do. Trust me. It's just…I don't want you to feel pressured if you're not ready for th –"

James was cut off by Stephanie pressing her lips against his. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist as she slowly pulled away, her honey colored orbs boring into his with passion.

"I want to, James."

Stephanie had to admit that she was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but hoped James wouldn't pick up on it (obviously he did). Stephanie could feel herself fall harder and harder as he explained to her why she didn't have to do it right away with him. He was sincere.

He didn't just want her for sex. He genuinely cared about how she felt.

Stephanie watched as he smiled brightly at her, revealing his perfectly aligned whites. He had an amazing smile. That was part of the reason she fell for him. His smile was so breathtaking and mesmerizing.

She allowed him to lay her down onto the pillow beneath her. He was hovering on top of her. Stephanie could almost hear her heart beat loudly against her chest. She only hoped James didn't hear it as well.

He gently stroked the side of her face with his hand as he leaned in and placed a soft, passionate kiss upon her lips. She kissed back, placing her hand on his face.

James had taken his time undressing her. Every kiss and touch was gentle and loving. When they were both finally stripped down to their undergarments, Stephanie couldn't help but admire his well-kept physique that she was able to get a glimpse of that day when they all went down to the Palm Woods pool.

She seen how his eyes sparkled with lust and…something else Stephanie couldn't quite place at that moment. James leaned down once again, placing a soft kiss onto her lips.

"Is this your first time?"

Stephanie couldn't help the scarlet color that flushed her cheeks after he asked. She bit down on her bottom lip shyly and nodded slowly.

James lifted his eyebrows in shock. He was going to be her first? Wow. A part of him was ecstatic at the fact that no other guy had ever experienced what he was about to experience with her and the other part of him was in admiration over her. Though he had slept with many loose girls in his time, if he was to ever settle down with someone, he preferred his girl to be a little _less_ experienced than him. She didn't have to be a virgin but she also couldn't be a girl who's slept with the whole hockey team.

He could tell she was a bit embarrassed at this revelation and slightly nervous.

"Don't be embarrassed," He whispered, staring into her eyes. Gosh she was beautiful. He just wanted her all to himself.

Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip as she stared up onto the handsome man before her.

"I won't hurt you," He whispered. "I promise…"

Stephanie stared into his eyes as she slowly nodded. She slowly closed her eyes as she began to enter into a state of pure bliss…

* * *

**End Notes:** Yay! Finished this chapter with a total of over 3,000+ words. My longest chapter in this story so far. Please review and tell your thoughts on this! Your opinions, suggestions? I love reading the feedback you guys leave me! :-)


End file.
